Urbino

I’d like to see Urbino, birthplace of the great artist Raphael, and a World Heritage Site.

It lies just across the Mountains of Moon from Umbria in the Marche province of Italy. Wikipedia describes Urbino as being “notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of Federico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482.”

I’m hoping that when I’m in Anghiari, I can convince my friends that it would make a nice day trip.

Google Maps shows 3 different routes, ranging from 80 kilometres to about 95 kilometres in length, but the trip can take anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours. So, it’s obviously a bit of a grunt to get over the mountains!

I had better look for a map showing elevations to see just how challenging this might be......

I hope your friend will want to go. Sounds like a great place to visit. I think I read a thread a couple of years ago on the Italy board about driving there (over the mountains). Either that or a trip report.

Hi Candi, I also am a fan of Via Michelin maps. Thanks for the reminder -- I should begin to print things like this out now, and put them in a folder to take along. Otherwise, in the last minute rush, I'll be sure to forget!

Girasoli, I hope so, too. I have to confess that I would probably be a little nervous driving that alone. I grew up driving on rural roads and in the Rockies, but I've lived in the city too long -- I'm becoming way too nervous about rural driving.

Oh thanks for this - I've been wanting to visit Urbino for a while now. I must admit my interest was partly piqued by Piero della Francesca's Duke of Urbino portrait. When I saw this iconic painting in the Uffizi, I had one of those surreal "am I really in Italy, seeing these masterpieces for real?" moments. And then when I also found out Urbino was Raphael's birthplace, I did a little research and discovered what a fascinating place it seems to be.

I do hope you make it on your trip so I can visit vicariously through your blog!